Biometrics refers to the quantifiable data (or metrics) related to human characteristics and traits. Examples of biometric identifiers include fingerprints, palm prints, voice pattern, iris pattern, one or more facial images, DNA, etc. Biometric identifiers are distinctive, measurable characteristics used to label and describe individuals. The choice of a particular biometric identifier for use in a specific application involves a weighting of several factors including universality across the relevant population; uniqueness among individuals in the relevant population; permanence of a trait over time; measurability or ease of acquisition or measurement; performance in terms of accuracy, speed, and robustness; acceptability of the capture process to the individuals subject to collection; and ease of circumvention using an artifact or substitute. No single biometric identifier will meet all the requirements of every possible application and in many applications, a combination of biometric identifiers may be required.
Timely verification of identity is a critical requirement for various individuals involved in military and law enforcement operations, including soldiers in a war zone or peace-keeping zone, customs and border protection (CBP) officers working in immigration control, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents conducting counterterrorism sweeps, and even state and local law enforcement personnel. Identity verification is often performed by capturing various biometric identifiers and comparing the captured information against records stored in repositories maintained by various governmental agencies such as National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), FBI, Department of Defense (DoD), and Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Moreover, many of the scenarios mentioned above also require timely initial enrollment of individuals by capturing biometric information and sending it to be stored in one or more repositories.